Elder Josh Browning: Muddy, Mucky Mess

July 9, 2013

Hey there! What a great week we had.

First of all, we got to give service to the people of High River. That is where the flood hit the hardest. We were called out to help on Wednesday morning to go and dig out some muddy muck out of peoples basements. I was pretty excited to be able to wear those cool Helping Hand shirts that are just so cool. Sadly, they were out of T-shirts, so a vest was given to us.

We met at the Okotoks chapel, which is about 20 minutes away from High River. This chapel was once a stake center, but now has been transformed into a command center as they call it. Every classroom is full to the roof of supplies needed for the families in need. Food, clothing, tools for clean-up, quilt making areas, and even a room full of rubber boots. They have everything you can think of. The Church is always so organized and prepared for any disaster. They have a room full of computers and phones where volunteers take phone calls from people needing help. They then take a work order, fill out how many people are needed, and what tools, then it is ready to be completed. It is amazing to see the time and organization that goes into a single work order.

Our first day we were assigned to a house that needed everything out. The water got up to four feet in their basement. So, we went to work. It reminded me of when I worked with brother Webb. It was basically the same thing, except everything was twice as heavy, because of the water, and smelt like sewer. Yes, it is mainly sewage that makes up the mud. Pretty nasty. We worked on the house for hours, hauling out dry wall, wet heavy installation, and any kind of furniture you can think of. It was a mans job, that is for sure, but the sisters did great! Haha, almost out worked us. ;)

The next day, we were called in to work again. This time we went to the High River missionaries apartment. It got destroyed! The missionaries lost all of their stuff. The water got up to the ceiling, which was a 10 foot one. I could not believe the mess we had the task of cleaning up. Wow, we were dirty after that project. We got there at 8 am, left around 6 pm, and I was dead tired...

All of High River looks like a war zone. The roads are destroyed, piles of garbage outside every home, and it smells like you don’t wanna know. It really blew me away. They are making progress, slowly but surely. It will be awhile until they get it back to normal again. We will be out there again this Thursday, I am excited!

I hope everyone has a great week in the sun. Calgary has been really nice, it has been in the 20s for the past couple of days. It stays nice and cool... just how I like it. :) Keep the people who have been affected by the flood in your prayers. I have had the wonderful opportunity to get to talk to these people and get to know them. They are devastated. Many of them were in tears, as they explained to us their feelings on the situation. They also were overjoyed by the service we rendered. I was just happy to do it. Love you all, and stay dry! ;)

Love,

Elder Browning.2

The clean up crew